I know I am doing something wrong....

[Equilibrium_FOOL]

The photos pretty much tell the story for me, colour rings around the light source for all of the exposures and apertures that I tested.  I have been searching for a photo with a similar cast/glow/ray on the internet to no avail. 

 

D750

24-70

B+W UV filter

P1: ISO 200, F8, 1/4s (boosted exposure to brighten image)  I used exposure bracketing to expose for all parts of the scene, however all of the photos have this ring around the candles which makes editing impossible.

P2: ISO 250, F8, 6s Earlier photo that I gave up on due to the cast, also was planning on creating an HDR image using bracketing.

 

 

[AkiraDaarkst]

I’m not sure if there is something wrong with your camera but I have experienced similar effects due to:

1. cheap UV filters or any other filters you have in front

2. some sort of condensation or oil residue on/inside lenses or sensor that may require cleaning 

 

and they become more noticeable on longer exposure shots

[Equilibrium_FOOL]

1 hour ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

I’m not sure if there is something wrong with your camera but I have experienced similar effects due to:

1. cheap UV filters or any other filters you have in front

2. some sort of condensation or oil residue on/inside lenses or sensor that may require cleaning 

 

and they become more noticeable on longer exposure shots

Yeah I think that you might be right, although the UV filter should be fine I will do some test without it tonight.  Hopefully that will fix the problem as I have already lost many hours in trying to fix it and the setup last night.  Oh well...  Next time I'll know.

[Equilibrium_FOOL]

4 hours ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

I’m not sure if there is something wrong with your camera but I have experienced similar effects due to:

1. cheap UV filters or any other filters you have in front

2. some sort of condensation or oil residue on/inside lenses or sensor that may require cleaning 

 

and they become more noticeable on longer exposure shots

It was my 24-70, I've tried it with two other lenses and none of the colour halo has showed up.  Kinda sucks for my 24-70 though, I guess I need to get it fixed... or buy a new one.

[AkiraDaarkst]

On 12/25/2017 at 1:34 AM, Equilibrium_FOOL said:

It was my 24-70, I've tried it with two other lenses and none of the colour halo has showed up.  Kinda sucks for my 24-70 though, I guess I need to get it fixed... or buy a new one.

Tip: when ever you go to buy a lens, take a flashlight (or use the lamp from your phone).  Shine the light through the lens and check if there exists any big particles of dust (especially with second hand lenses) or other things that may affect the performance of the optics.  But don't be too paranoid if you do see some dust particles in a brand new lens, most lenses are not assembled in high grade clean rooms.  Just make sure there aren't any big chunks of particles/dust or residue that could noticeably affect the image.

 

PS: unless you bought the lens second hand, if you purchased it brand new this sort of "defect" should be covered under warranty (depends on the duration of warranty Nikon offers in your region).  Even if it's out of warranty, it MAYBE (a big maybe) cheaper than buying a new one to get it serviced.  But NPS can sometimes charge insane prices...

[Equilibrium_FOOL]

2 hours ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

Tip: when ever you go to buy a lens, take a flashlight (or use the lamp from your phone).  Shine the light through the lens and check if there exists any big particles of dust (especially with second hand lenses) or other things that may affect the performance of the optics.  But don't be too paranoid if you do see some dust particles in a brand new lens, most lenses are not assembled in high grade clean rooms.  Just make sure there aren't any big chunks of particles/dust or residue that could noticeably affect the image.

 

PS: unless you bought the lens second hand, if you purchased it brand new this sort of "defect" should be covered under warranty (depends on the duration of warranty Nikon offers in your region).  Even if it's out of warranty, it MAYBE (a big maybe) cheaper than buying a new one to get it serviced.  But NPS can sometimes charge insane prices...

I could not see anything inside the lens, but that is good advice that I will keep in mind when buying used gear.  I really don't know enough to even try and diagnose why the halos are appearing.  In daylight shooting the lens works fine, just with isolated light sources does the problem arise.

 

I bought the lens second hand, from a semi-pro user who had had it since new, which was two or three years after release, the G version that is, not the VR.  This means that without doubt it is outside of warranty, so I will either have to get if fixed, or buy a new one.  I will have to get a quote, although I am Europe right now and the lens was sold under North American jurisdiction.